The lightweight, ever-so-smooth performance provided by Brooks’ sculpted sole was deemed race-ready and perfect for up to half marathons, or even full marathons for testers with low-volume, high-arched feet.

The T2 is another shoe that screams triathlete, with drainage ports to shed water. The name itself refers to the transition from the bike to the run portion of a tri. But it's a serviceable racing flat for most of us.

Although Mizuno had arguably been making minimalist-styled shoes in the form of the Wave Universe and its other racing flats, the EVO Cursoris (and its close sibling shoe, the EVO Levitas) are clearly designed to court the “barefoot” or “natural” shoe market with their zero drop and accentuated (pronounced “clown-like”) toe boxes. And although our test team enjoyed the raw simplicity and smoothness of the Cursoris, which had “nothing underneath to rearrange your stride,” they wondered if these shoes added anything to what is already a crowded scene.

The Free Flyknit+ is essentially a new upper added to the serviceable Free 5.0 midsole/outsole unit. We like the existing base, because it gives you a 10-mm drop platform that's still plenty flexible and lightweight, and offers a surprising amount of cushioning. The upper, however, is where the magic happens.